Box or carton with locking means



Dec. 15, 1964 R. E. PAIGE BOX 0R CARTON WITH LOCKING MEANS Filed Feb. 4, 1963 INVENTOR.

R/CHARD E. PAIGE United States Patent ()fifice 3,161,343 Patented Dec. 15, 1964 3,161,343 BOX R CARTON WITH LOCKING MEANS Richard E. Paige, 95 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. Filed Feb. 4, 1963, Ser. No. 256,797 2 Claims. (Cl. 22935) This invention is an improved box or carton made of a blank of cardboard or other suitable sheet material, and having portions united along score lines, about which said portions can be bent or folded upward to give the box or carton its final shape.

An important object of this invention is to provide novel locking connections for the portions of the box or carton that are to be upstanding with respect to the bottom thereof, so that, when the box or carton is completed and set up, it will effectively retain the form which it is intended to present.

Another object is to provide for the portions aforesaid connections that include parts which are adapted to have positive locking action at all corners, to hold such portions securely in final positions, and which can easily be moved into full operative engagement with each other.

A further object is to provide a box or carton having the characteristics outlined above, so that a properly cut blank can be quickly manipulated to produce a finished article whenever such a box or carton is needed for use.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention are clearly described in the specification that follows, and the distinguishing features are defined in the a pended claims. On the drawings an embodiment of the box or carton is illustrated; but variations involving changes in shape, size and arrangement of parts can be adopted without departure from the general design in which the invention resides.

On the drawings FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a blank of cardboard, for example, that gives the box or carton.

FIGURE 2 is an inside view in perspective, showing part of the locking construction, to be disposed at every corner of the box or carton.

FIGURE 3 is an outside perspective view of what appears on FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is an outside view showing further some of the parts of the locking means, and FIGURE 4a portrays in perspective the positions of some parts in full locking positions.

FIGURE 5 shows the shape of the locking tongues or tabs utilized at every corner of the box or carton.

FIGURE 6 is an inside perspective view of a corner of the box or carton showing the final locking effect.

FIGURE 7 shows in perspective the box or carton as it appears when set up with all portions locked together at all the corners.

FIGURE 8 indicates how the locking means can be duplicated, so that more than one set of locking parts can be employed at every corner of the box or carton, if desired.

The blank of sheet material for the box or carton has a central portion 1, united to which are two oppositely situated portions 2, and a pair of oppositely disposed portions 3, when the box or carton is to have only four sides; but of course the box or carton can be fashioned with a greater or smaller number of sides whenever required. The portions 2 and 3 are joined to the portion 1, along score lines 4, and can be bent or turned up about the lines 4 into erect positions with respect to the portion 1, that is to serve as the bottom.

Two of the portions opposite each other, such as the portions 2, have locking tabs or tongues 5, one at each side edge; and the other two portions 3 each have two flaps 6, each hinged thereto one along each side edge,

along the score lines 4, to be turned inward and overlie the portions 2 when the box is fully set up. The flaps 6 united to the portions 3 are cut free from the portions 2; and at the junctions of the flaps 6 and portions 3 are slits into which the projections 5 are inserted to lock the portions 2 and 3 together. This locking action will now be fully explained. The tabs and slots are so located and have such shape as to aflord the most advantageous results.

The tabs or projections 5 placed, one at each side of the portions 2, preferably have the outline shown in FIG- URE 5. They are joined to the portions 2 along score lines 4 and have pointed upper ends 7 that are separated from the portions 2 by spaces 9; and between the opposite ends the outer edge of each tab is a convex curve 10, like the curve along one side of the outline of a pear, so that each tab 5 is a little narrower at the upper half thereof. The slits into which the tabs 5 are inserted are cut to present a long recess 11 in each flap 6 and a corresponding protuberance 12 on each portion 3. At the upper extremities of these protuberances are short straight cuts 13 in substantial alinement with the score lines 4 between the flaps and the portions 3. When the flaps 6 are laid fiat against the portions 3 the side edges of the cuts 13 are side by side, as indicated at 14, so that the tabs 5 can pass into the cuts 13 easily. This efiect is indicated on FIGURE 3. The cuts 13 are merely indicated on FIGURES 1, 6 and 7 to show their true locations.

To form the box or carton, the portions 2 and 3 are turned up about the score lines 4, and the flaps 6 are first turned inward to lie in contact with the portions 3. The

lower outer corners of the flaps 6 are cut away as at 15 (FIGURE 2) to free the adjacent ends of the tabs 5, when all parts of the blank are laid flat in a common plane as indicated on FIGURE 1. With the flaps 6 overlying the portions 3, the fiaps 6 expose the slits in their junctions with the portions 3 over the whole length of the slits, including the cuts 13, and the tabs 5 can be readily pushed through the slits, and the pointed ends 7 pass through the cuts 13. The flaps 6 are next turned so that each pair will lie against the portions 2 at right angles to the portions 3 One edge of the short cuts 13 at the ends of the slits now fills the spaces 9 at the ends of the tabs 5, and blocks or obstructs the withdrawal of the tabs 5, because one of the edges of each cut 13 will engage the inner edges of the pointed ends 7. The tabs 5 will thus be secured at the pointed ends against the portions 3. Also each protuberance 12 on the portions 3 will lie outside against the junction of a tab 5 with a portion 2 (see FIGURE 4) along the hinge line 4'. The box or carton now has and will retain its proper shape.

This action appears best on inspection of FIGURES 3, 4 and 4a. When each flap 6 lies against a portion 3 to which it is united, as in FIGURE 3, the recesses 11 and protuberance 12 are widely separated, and the tabs 5 as they are actuated into locking positions first slide with their curved edges 10 over and past the protuberances 12. The pointed ends 7 easily pass between the edges 14 of the cuts 13. This action can be clearly understood from an inspection of FIGURE 3, which presents a somewhat exaggerated view of these cuts, with the edges 14 slightly separated. But when the flaps 6 are turned to be perpendicular to the portions 3, the edges 14 of the cuts 13 move close together (see FIGURES 4 and 4a) and lie behind the pointed ends 7, and the tabs 5 act as hooks and are locked in, being perpendicular to the por tions 2 bearing them, and fiat against the portions 3. The broken lines 2 and 6 at the top of FIGURE 4 merely indicate the relative positions of the parts 2, 3 and 6 when the tabs 5 are caught in.

, The portions 2 and 3 are thus secured along all corners. The tabs 5 and flaps 6, instead of being situated as illustrated, can of course be otherwise arranged. For

instance, the fiaps'd could be placed on the portions '2 and the tabs 5 on the portions 3, with the slits at the'j-unctions of the flaps 6 with the portions to which they are attached. Or the locking means including the tabs 5 and the slits can be so placed that the tabs 5 will be at one side edge of a portion 3, and the-other edge of a portion 2 I .may have a flap'd, the slots being disposed accordingly.

. The box or carton can also be made from a blank that provides two locks, one above the other, at each corner to hold the portions 2 and 3 erect. See FIGURE 8. This view also indicates how the tabs can have two pointed ends.

The general appearance of the box or carton when set up as above described is shown in FIGURE 7. 7

With this invention a folding box or carton can be produced with locking means entirely within, and the outsideappearance is completely finished as if no locking means were present. The top end of each recess has a small slant upward, so that the end 7 of each tab is guided smoothly into the cut or slit 13; and no binding or sticking of the parts of the lock ever occurs. 1

It is therefore clear that the flaps or panels 6 are hinged extensions of the sides 3, and the projections or hooked locking parts 5, are hinged to the sides 2. The slots for the projections 5 are mostly in the panels 6, at one side of and parallel to the hinge lines uniting the panels 6 to the lateral edges of the sides 3. The cuts or slits 13 at the upper ends of each slot are substantially in line with the said last-named hinge lines, and the hinged projections 5, with their convex outer edges, terminate at the'top in.

narrow extremities 7, each with a short free edge 9 close to the lateral edge of panel 2. V

The protruding parts 12 of the sides 3, when the flaps or panels 6 are turned towards these sides 3, will engage In any case, the full length of each slot with one cut or a cut at'b'oth ends and parts 5 are equal, and the parts 5 and slots with the slits are coextensive. Hence, as the sides 2 and 3 are secured by the hinged locking projections 5, and the sides 2 need not be sprung or bent crosswise as the projections 5 are inserted in the slots.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new is: 1. A folding box comprising a bottom and four side walls hinged to the bottom, an inside panel secured to two opposite sidewalls along each lateral edge of said opposite walls, and connected each to one of said edges along a hinge line thereat, and a hooked projection connected along a hinge line at each lateral edge of the two remaining side walls, said projections each having a curved convex outer edge from end to end, each of said 7 panels having a slot along its connecting hinge line and the convex edges of the locking parts 5, and help'or guide the insertion of the parts 5 into the slots; and the extremities 7 pass through the slots 13 at the upper ends of the slots.

in and behind the edges 9 to hold the parts 5 against withdrawal. The protruding portions 12- then overlap and screen the hinge lines of the locking projections 5.

One of the narrowed extremities, such as the lower one as shown in FIGURE 8, with its matching slit or cut 13 in the adjacent lower end of the slot can be omitted.

As the panels 6 are then turned against the sides 2, the opposite edges of the slits 13 approach each other parallel thereto at one side of last-named line, said slots being mostly in said panels, each of said first-named sides having therein a protruding portion at an edge of said slot therein, said portions extending along said slots, the upper extremity of each projection being narrowed and having an edge free from said remaining sides, said slots terminating in slits at the upper ends coinciding with said hinge lines of the panels, the protruding portions overlapping said'slots, and the slits closing along the free edges of said narrowed ends when the box is set up.

2'. A box having a bottom and upstanding side Walls, one of said walls having a panel hinged thereto along a lateral edge of said one wall, an adjacent wall having a hooked projection hinged to its lateral edge beside said one wall, said projection having a convex outer edge with a narrowed extremity at its upper end, .said extremity having a short edge free fronrsaid adjacent wall, said panel having a slot therein at one side of the lateral edge of said one Wall and parallel thereto, said slot having at its-upper end a short slit along the last-named edge, said slot with the slit being coextensive with said projection and said extremity, one edge of said slot in the panel projecting from said one side. and overlapping said slot and the slit being closed behind the free edge of the extremity of said projection when the box is set up.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A FOLDING BOX COMPRISING A BOTTOM AND FOUR SIDE WALLS HINGED TO THE BOTTOM, AN INSIDE PANEL SECURED TO TWO OPPOSITE SIDE WALLS ALONG EACH LATERAL EDGE OF SAID OPPOSITE WALLS, AND CONNECTED EACH TO ONE OF SAID EDGES ALONG A HINGE LINE THEREAT, AND A HOOKED PROJECTION CONNECTED ALONG A HINGE LINE AT EACH LATERAL EDGE OF THE TWO REMAINING SIDE WALLS, SAID PROJECTIONS EACH HAVING A CURVED CONVEX OUTER EDGE FROM END TO END, EACH OF SAID PANELS HAVING A SLOT ALONG ITS CONNECTING HINGE LINE AND PARALLEL THERETO AT ONE SIDE OF LAST-NAMED LINE, SAID SLOTS BEING MOSTLY IN SAID PANELS, EACH OF SAID FIRST-NAMED SIDES HAVING THEREIN A PROTRUDING PORTION AT AN EDGE OF SAID SLOT THERIN, SAID PORTIONS EXTENDING ALONG SAID SLOTS, THE UPPER EXTREMITY OF EACH PROJECTION BEING NARROWED AND HAVING AN EDGE FREE FROM SAID REMAINING SIDES, SAID SLOTS TERMINATING IN SLITS AT THE UPPER ENDS COINCIDING WITH SAID HINGE LINES OF THE PANELS, THE PROTRUDING PORTIONS OVERLAPPING SAID SLOTS, AND THE SLITS CLOSING ALONG THE FREE EDGES OF SAID NARROWED ENDS WHEN THE BOX IS SET UP. 